CEO/Chair Leadership: When and Why Boards Combine or Separate the Roles
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Corporate Board Practices

A TCB Benchmarking Release

CEO/Chair Leadership: When and Why Boards Combine or Separate the Roles

28 April 2026 / Report

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This report examines CEO/chair leadership structures in the S&P 500 and Russell 3000, focusing on succession events, chair independence, and related policy and rationale disclosures. Leadership structure remains context dependent, and most disclosures preserve board discretion to separate or combine the roles based on circumstances.

This report examines CEO/chair leadership structures in the S&P 500 and Russell 3000, focusing on succession events, chair independence, and related policy and rationale disclosures. Leadership structure remains context dependent, and most disclosures preserve board discretion to separate or combine the roles based on circumstances.

Author

Ariane Marchis-Mouren

Ariane Marchis-Mouren Ariane Marchis-Mouren

Senior Researcher, Corporate Governance
The Conference Board

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